Santa Cruz County shelter offers discounted cat microchipping

SANTA CRUZ -- The first 300 cat owners to sign up for a new county program will receive discounted microchipping and vaccinations and free spay and neutering.

For only $5, owners will receive services that normally cost $75, thanks to Dude Where's My Cat, a program offered by the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.

To register, owners should come without their cat, and with proof of Santa Cruz county residence, to either of the shelter's locations, in Santa Cruz or Watsonville. Owners of cats older than 10 must pay $55 for a blood test.

The goal of the program is to send cats home quickly, said Linda Puzziferro, client services supervisor.

Owners often let their cats roam free, and cats often come to the shelter injured, or delivered by neighbors who assume the cat is lost, she said.

If the cat is microchipped, the shelter can instantly identify and contact the owner, said Puzziferro.

"Animals that come in that have a chip, their turnaround time is one day," Puzziferro said. "But animals without a chip, who knows?"